We are an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the history, culture and true lives of Romani people worldwide.
We confront racism and oppression wherever we encounter it.
We try to make connections with all the "isms" that make up western culture.

Monday, November 28, 2011

CANADA

DEPORTATION DATE SET FOR BURNABY FAMILY

BY JENIFFER MOREAU

PHOTO: FILE PHOTO, BURNABY NOW
Deportation set: From left, Jan Pohlodko and his wife Eva Tulejova and their three children - Robert, 5, Sabina, 8, and Samantha, five months. The local Roma family wants to stay in Canada to avoid persecution in the Czech Republic, but immigration officials are sending them home.

Immigration officials have set a deportation date for a local Roma family from the Czech Republic, despite their pleas to stay in Canada to avoid persecution in their home country.

Jan Pohlodko and his wife Eva Tulejova have three children and have been in Canada since June 2, 2009. They've been ordered to leave the country by Nov. 30. They applied for refugee status, citing persecution in the Czech Republic and pointed to cases of racist skinheads attacks on Roma as reason to let the family stay. Their application was denied on Dec. 21, 2010.

The family was living in a housing complex in South Burnaby, but they've moved in with relatives.
The family also underwent a pre-removal risk assessment, but that was rejected on Sept. 1. The assessment is to make sure that Canada is not deporting people to countries where their lives are at risk or they face the risk of persecution, torture or cruel and unusual treatment. The senior immigration officer who reviewed the family's case cited credibility concerns in the assessment results.

"While incidents of violence continue to occur, the government has initiated a number of programs and efforts to address the situation for Roma and other ethnic minorities," the officer wrote.

Resources

Resources

counter

FLAG OF THE ROMA

LOLO DIKLO : RrOMANI AGAINST RACISM

Lolo Diklo : Rromani Against Racism is an organization dedicated to providing information about the true situation of the Romani (Gypsies) in the world today. We are committed to confronting racism and oppression wherever it is found.

BACKGROUND

The Romani are a people who are not very well known. We are an ethnic group of people originally from India. We left India and arrived in Europe sometime in the 1300's. There are many theories as to why we left India. This is the work of academics, and we have some. Most Romani are more concerned about daily survival to worry about documentation of our past. We know who we are.

What is known about the Romani is, for the most part, stereotypically based. We are portrayed as romantic, carefree wonderers or child stealers, pick pockets and beggers.

Today the Romani of Europe face the same discrimination they have faced for centuries.